Born in Scotland in 1829, William Christie built a baking fortune and became a prominent member of Toronto society before passing away from cancer in 1900. Christie Street, in the west end, is named after him and his original cookie factory still stands as part of the George Brown campus.

 

The mansion he built in the exclusive Queen’s Park neighborhood was left to his son Robert whose demented perversions led to it becoming one of Toronto’s most notorious haunted buildings.

 

Robert arranged to have a secret chamber built in the mansion to house his mistress; who lived in the building, right under the noses of his unwitting wife and children.

 

He had his servants cordon off a section of the property - dubbed Room 29 - for his mistress, who became like a prisoner. Stuck in this room, night-and-day, unable to roam freely, only finding company when provided with food or a visit from the libidinous Robert

 

Over time, these visits became less frequent, as Robert grew tired of his aging mistress, leaving the poor woman isolated and alone. When it finally became too much to bear she hung herself from the rafters with a bedsheet, to be discovered by the servants.

 

Robert, fearing shame and investigation, had her body removed and buried on the grounds of Queen’s Park where she remains to this day without the dignity of a headstone.

 

It is said that her ghost still haunts the notorious Room 29, and if you enter by yourself at night the door will swing shut behind you, locking itself and trapping you inside, just  like the unnamed woman was trapped all those years ago. 

 

Mr. Christie you make good cookies - and you also drive poor women to suicide!